Make cooperative federalism a reality, says President to Governors/Lt. Governors

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee and the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at the Conference of Governors, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on February 11, 2015. The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh is also seen.

Make cooperative federalism a reality, says President to Governors/Lt. Governors The 46th Conference of Governors concluded today (February 12, 2015) at Rashtrapati Bhavan. In his concluding remarks, the President said Governors and Lt. Governors have an important role to play in making cooperative federalism a reality. They are all people with great experience in public life. They occupy an important space in our constitutional structure. They also function as a sentinel of the Constitution and a live link with the Union. It is expected from them to make a positive contribution in strengthening the partnership between the Centre and the States. The President said the authority that Governors/Lt. Governors exercise is based on a moral premise, and as long as the exercise of that authority is confined to the boundaries of the Constitution, he did not see the possibility of any diminution of their role. The President appreciated the Union Home Minister’s suggestion to actively involve the Governors in the internal security related apparatus and requested him to consider convening separate meetings with groups of Governors having similar problems i.e. North Eastern States, coastal States, States with international borders and LWE affected States. He also suggested that the Raksha Mantri may, similarly, involve Governors of States having an international border in a focused interaction on border and security issues. The President was happy to note that as per directions of the Prime Minister, eight Union Ministers, including Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State, will tour the North-East every fortnight to review the works related to their Departments and also participate in important events taking place in the region. He expressed the wish that Governors of Eastern States, specially the North Eastern States, should become active participants of the Government’s ‘Act East’ policy and requested External Affairs Minister to consider convening a separate meeting with the Governors of these States to sensitize them on the finer aspects of this policy. Pointing out the importance of education in transformation of the country, the President urged the Prime Minister to examine the possibility of progressively increasing spending on education from 3.8% of GDP at present to 6% of GDP in the coming years. He also urged the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and all Central and State level agencies to ensure coordination with Governors to enable them to contribute to the achievement of targets of skilling and up-skilling 500 million Indians by 2022. Pointing out that objectives of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan cannot be achieved without peoples’ participation and the involvement of NGOs and RWAs, the President urged the Governors and Lt. Governors to spread the message of sanitation in their States/UTs and ensure that we attain the goal of Swachh Bharat by 2019 i.e. Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th Birth Anniversary. The Prime Minister also addressed the concluding session. The two day Conference had as its agenda- (a) security- internal and external with special focus on border security in States sharing international frontiers (b) financial inclusion employment generation and employability- making skill development programmes effective (c) sanitation – achieving the goal of Swachh Bharat by 2019 on Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary and (d) issues relating to Fifth and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India and development related issues of North Eastern Areas. The Conference was attended by by Twenty-one Governors and two Lt. Governors. *** PM's address at Conference of GovernorsPM: Governors are "agents of change;" their catalysing influence can contribute significantly to states Through NITI Aayog, Union Government has begun a process of cooperative, competitive federalism that respects diversity and federal structure of India As Chancellors of Universities, motivate youth and their families to work for "Swachh Bharat" Governors should pay special attention towards central schemes such as rural electrificationThe Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today described Governors as inspirational "Agents of Change", and said their catalysing influence can contribute significantly to the development of states. He was addressing the concluding session of the Conference of Governors at Rashtrapati Bhawan today. The Prime Minister described the distinguished gathering of Governors as one which included a former Chief Justice of India, former Chief Ministers, a former Cabinet Minister, former Speakers of Legislative Assemblies, a former Army officer, and former senior bureaucrats. Shri Narendra Modi outlined the broad thrust of the Union Government`s policies, which he described as oriented towards all-round economic growth. He said the Government has moved away from the model of "one-size-fits-all" schemes, and is working towards cooperative, competitive federalism, through the NITI Aayog. Referring to the security scenario, the Prime Minister said that the expanding footprint of extremist and terrorist organizations in Pakistan, and their link with terror activities in India, is a major security challenge. He said ceasefire violations along the Line of Control were continuing. He added that the Government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to counter infiltration from across the border. He urged states facing the problem of Left Wing Extremism to adopt a coordinated approach to tackle the problem. The Prime Minister stressed the need for ending the infrastructure deficit in the North-East, to realize the immense potential of the region, and to help it march forward shoulder-to-shoulder as part of "Team India". The Prime Minister spoke extensively on the subject of tribal development, and referred to the Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana, which was initiated when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2007. He stressed on the need for providing stable employment to tribals, eliminating infrastructure gaps, and improving education, human development, and lifestyle changes among the tribal communities. The Prime Minister highlighted recent governance initiatives of the Union Government, including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG subsidy, the Digital India Mission, the Make in India Mission, initiatives for skill development, and elimination of outdated laws. He said Governors are Chancellors of Universities, and in that capacity, they should inspire youth and their families to work towards Swachh Bharat. The Prime Minister also touched upon major social issues such as drug abuse, declining sex ratio and food adulteration, in his address. He asked Governors to contribute in the successful implementation of important central schemes. As an illustration, he mentioned rural electrification, and said 20,000 villages still remained without electricity. He also mentioned pending projects in the road, rail and power sectors. ************

PM conveys best wishes to the Indian Cricket Team for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has conveyed best wishes to the Indian Cricket Team for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. ”As the 2015 Cricket World Cup begins, my best wishes to the Indian Cricket Team. खेलो दिल से, वर्ल्ड कप लाओ फिर से! My best wishes to captain cool @msdhoni. Play hard, lead well make India proud. Knowing you, I am sure you will. I wish our flamboyant vice captain @imVkohli the very best for the upcoming campaign. The entire nation has a lot of hopes on him. Best wishes @SDhawan25! Give India a wonderful start every time you step on the pitch. Score many many runs, we are all there to cheer you. The only batsman to score 2 double centuries in ODIs, @ImRo45`s talent has millions of fans. Make us proud once again! I wish you the very best my young friend @ajinkyarahane88. Have a wonderful World Cup. Make the most of this great opportunity. Suresh Raina has always been agile on the field and hard-hitting with the bat. Hit them out of the park, including the bouncers :) @ImRaina Have a great tournament @RayuduAmbati. I am sure you will keep the runs coming and play a key role in the tournament. Who is not a fan of Sir Jadeja? We all look forward to seeing your all round performances take India to victory! @imjadeja The young Axar Patel can trick the batsmen with his sharp spin and bounce. Give your best and play without pressure! Best of luck @BhuviOfficial! Swing every match in our favour. Your breakthroughs will determine how fast we will win those matches! Our young fast bowler Mohit Sharma can bowl a great line and length. He is a great asset to the team. Best of luck. I wish my young and extremely talented friend, Mohammed Shami the very best for the World Cup. Play well and get those wickets. Stuart Binny’s recent all round performances have impressed all. We wish him all the best for the World Cup. Good luck @y_umesh. Bowl out the batsmen with your impressive speed and reverse swing. I am sure your spin bowling will surprise the batsman and give us victory. Play well @Ashwinravi99! My good wishes”, the Prime Minister said.*****

US Treasury Secretary calls on the Prime MinisterTreasury Secretary of the United States Mr Jacob Lew, accompanied by the Vice Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Mr Stanley Fischer, called on the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today. They are visiting India for the India-US Economic and Financial Partnership dialogue which is co-chaired by the Finance Minister of India. Prime Minister recalled the landmark and highly successful State Visit of the President of the United States to India as the Chief Guest at the Republic Day Parade. Prime Minister reiterated that the economic and financial cooperation between India and the US was an important pillar of strategic partnership between the two countries. He said that the Government of India was committed to provide predictable and stable tax regime and policies and welcomed the interest expressed by the US companies to invest in India.The US Treasury Secretary expressed deep appreciation at the financial inclusion initiative `Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana` that has connected over 100 million people with the mainstream economy in India. He also appreciated the positive approach adopted by the Government of India in addressing issues of the foreign investors. *****PM appalled at the news of temple being built in his nameThe Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has said that he is appalled at the news of a Temple being built in his name. "Have seen the news about a Temple being built in my name. I was appalled. This is shocking and against India`s great traditions. Building such Temples is not what our culture teaches us. Personally, it made me very sad. Would urge those doing it not to do it. If you have time and resources, please devote the same towards fulfilling our dream of a Clean India," the Prime Minister said. ***

Make cooperative federalism a reality, says President to Governors/Lt. Governors
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